Cisco Security Device Manager

If you are studying for CCNA, it is not enough that you know how to configure Cisco routers using the CLI, you also have to learn how to use Cisco SDM (Security Device Manager) as stated in the exam objectives:

• Configure, verify and troubleshoot DHCP and DNS operation on a router (using both the CLI and SDM)
• Access and utilize the router to set basic parameters.(including: CLI/SDM)
• Configure and apply ACLs based on network filtering requirements using SDM and CLI
• Configure and apply an ACL to limit telnet and SSH access to the router using SDM and CLI
• Configure NAT for given network requirements using SDM and CLI

Another reason for learning how to use SDM, as quoted from CCNA ICND1 Official Cert Guide (3rd Ed):

Routers that are built specifically for consumers as Internet access routers ship from the factory with DHCP client services enabled on the Internet-facing interface, DHCP server functions enabled on the local interface, and PAT functions enabled. Enterprise routers, which have many features and may not necessarily be used as Internet access routers, ship from the factory without these features enabled by default.

So for your enterprise-class routers, you can configure DHCP client, DHCP server and PAT using SDM. which are necessary functions to be able to connect to the Internet.

In my previous post, I said I am going to try SDM using GNS3, and I didn't know I will have a lot of trouble setting it up. It only works on older versions of Java (1.6.0_03) so I got to download it from the Oracle website and disable my latest Java for it. Then, it requires some commands to be configured on the router before it can work. So this is my current topology (which I used in the previous post about using tftp server) and the host is configured as my laptop using the Microsoft loopback adapter. The router's interface address  is 10.10.10.1 while my adapter's address is 10.10.10.2, so the addresses should be in the same subnet.

These are the router CLI commands:

Router(config)# ip http server
Router(config)# ip http secure-server
Router(config)# ip http authentication local
Router(config)# username username privilege 15 password 0 password
Router(config)# line vty 0 4
Router(config-line)# privilege level 15
Router(config-line)# login local
Router(config-line)# transport input ssh
Router(config-line)# exit

So after you have installed SDM and Java, configured your router, verified the IP configuration of your host, then you can now access use SDM using your web browser (turn off pop-up blocker).